


pushing for sunshine

by capricorndog



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-05-28 03:30:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15039737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capricorndog/pseuds/capricorndog
Summary: Olwen doesn't like getting out of bed, but her friends are the only reason she goes to school, besides the obvious "Educational Purposes".Clive is small, runs too fast sometimes, and her three-man band of misfits keep her in check while they all hang out at the skatepark after classes end.An incident involving a basketball tie the two together, and leaves their friends stuck with the responsibility of getting the two to realise that they're perfect for each other.





	1. behind the clouds

**Author's Note:**

> okay im sorry if you expect regular updates, this is just a lil side project hahah
> 
> if you want to talk or play spla2n with me, pls pm me for my discord!!
> 
> i hope you enjoy the first chapter!!

Olwen didn't want to go to school, but she did anyway, because not going would probably make her feel worse. The world's just built that way.  
  
Feeling groggy and heavy milliseconds after waking up isn't the best thing ever. Every morning feels like the world weighs down on her, constantly, relentless and unforgiving. The only thing really keeping her from staying in bed and hibernating is seeing her one of her childhood friends after school. In the grade below her.  
  
The bell for the end of the day rings and she gets up without hesitation. She apologises as she swerves between desks to get to the door, swiping her hair out of her face to get to the stairs.  
  
And there he is, causing Olwen to finally let out the breath she was holding in a sigh of relief.  
  
"Olwen!" A small boy calls her name by the gates, his hat fixed on his head to shield him from the sun. "Let's go!"  
  
His name is Rocky. He's small and probably the purest being in the school. He's pretty well-known, and the first-years all greet him when he walks by, and he greets them back with a toothy grin. Even though he has braces on his top beak, he's not embarrassed about it. He thinks it makes him look cool (and yes, it does just that).  
  
With his hat on, his height tops at Olwen's eyes. But that's probably only because she's tall for her age - and Olwen doesn't really like being tall. It makes her stand out, which is something she really doesn't want.  
  
"You can't do much about it," Rocky's older brother, X, tells her. He's putting on his rollerskates. "Maybe it's better to roll with it. No pun intended."  
  
X is even taller than Olwen. Rocky only comes up to the bottom of his nose.  
  
Now in her element at the skate park, Olwen leans back on the wall and heaves a sigh. She nods, agreeing with X. He's right. There's no way to get any shorter, after all.  
  
X has his hair tied up in a ponytail, a truly classic style. He's a few years older than Olwen, and has an aura about him that makes him intimidating. Maybe it's his tired eyes or the scar crossing his lips, but the two younger inklings know he means no harm at all. In fact, the scar on his lip was caused by an attempt to pet Mini Judd.  
  
Rocky calls his older brother Eggs, a nickname that stuck ever since he was able to speak.  
  
X gently pats Olwen on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I understand." He stands up, tapping the wheels of his rollerskates on the floor. "Want to get your mind off it?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Olwen gets up soon after X leaps into the half pipe, and gets her skateboard under her feet.  
  
Skateboarding is her escape from worrying so much. She concentrates on her balance and speed, giving Rocky a thumbs up when she hears him cheering.  
  
The breeze feels cool on her skin as she speeds past X, pushing on the floor before flipping the board under her feet, over a rail, and landing smoothly. X whoops in appreciation and does a trick of his own, grinding on the ledge of the half pipe and striking a quick pose in the air before coming to a stop behind Rocky.  
  
Adrenaline pumps through Olwen's blood as she cruises down, and makes her light in her feet, body and spirit both gently lifted. A smile almost appears on her face as she approaches the half pipe - before someone yells out to her.  
  
"AAAAHH!!! Heads up!"  
  
Olwen brakes and hears rapid footsteps quickly coming towards her.  
  
It feels like time slows down.  
  
Someone soars in front of her, arm extended, and a basketball hits their forearm with a painful impact. Olwen gasps and nearly falls herself before braking and stepping off her board.  
  
The person, with a small build, ends up tumbling hard to the floor, curled up in a bundle.  
  
"A-are... you... o... kay...?" the person croaks as they struggle to pull themselves up from the ground. A girl. Very tiny. Cute. But clearly in a lot of pain.  
  
"...I should be the one asking you that..." Olwen almost whispers as she approaches the small girl and offers her hand. The latter accepts it, pulling herself up and staggering to her feet.  
  
"Nah... it's more important that you're okay. I can't believe I let my shot bounce off the hoop so hard and fly out of the court like that," the girl chuckles weakly, carefully dusting off her shoulders and knees. They were bruised and scratched, much like Olwen's hands and legs, but without the small bandages and plasters.  
  
"You ran all the way here... as soon as you threw the ball?"  
  
"Yeah, that's basically what happened!"  
  
Besides being cute, it seems that this girl has some sort of superpower. Blinking in an attempt to phase out from her confusion, Olwen changes the subject. "Um... the basketball... hitting your arm like that would leave a bruise. Can I treat it?"  
  
"If you insist, please go ahead," the girl tries to smile. "It'd help me out a lot!"  
  
Olwen signals to X and Rocky a few meters away with a number of complicated hand gestures that leave the small girl in confused awe. The exchange ends with X tossing her a bag.  
  
After catching the bag, Olwen opens it and brings out some spray and bandages.  
  
"Um... when I started skating, I hurt myself a lot. It was difficult," Olwen explains softly. "So I guess it was useful to... learn exactly how to make sure my body heals okay."  
  
"Ahh," the girl nods enthusiastically, cautiously lowering herself down to sit on a ramp, being careful not to bump any of her injuries. "Yeah! That's a good idea. Maybe I should do that too, since I'm running around 'n' throwing balls so much." She chuckles.  
  
Which sends Olwen into a gay panic.  
  
"T-tell me if it hurts..."  
  
"Mm, it's okay." The girl shakes her head.  
  
Olwen gently rubs the reddened patch of skin on the girl's arm before wrapping a small roll of bandage carefully around it, as if she were wrapping an important birthday present. "I... um. My name is Olwen. Be careful not to hit yourself here on your arm again..." she blushes, pursing her lips.  
  
"I'm Clive, but call me Clivey! All my friends call me that," she grins. Once Olwen had finished treating her, she quickly gets back on her feet. "Thank you, Ollie! Uh - you don't mind me calling you that, right?"  
  
"Ah, um... of course not..." Olwen screams internally but externally her voice softens almost to a whisper.  
  
And maybe a little smile crept up on her face.  
  
"It's settled then!" Clive pumps her fist in the air in celebration. "Hey, wait - do you, perhaps, go to Goby High?"  
  
Olwen nods her head. "You do too...?"  
  
"HECK YEAH!" Clive's eyes light up. "Aw, this is so awesome! Let's hang out more!! Is that okay?"  
  
"I'd love to."  
  
"Yay! And your buddies over there can come too!" Clive waves with ecstatic enthusiasm. "Hi! Oh my cod, this is so exciting!"  
  
The brothers wave back with the level of enthusiasm expected of them respectively, making Olwen laugh.  
  
The taller inkling didn't see it then, but Clive had the biggest smile on her face.  
  
To see the shy, quiet girl in the library she's crushed on forever smile and laugh made Clive feel that maybe she's just been blessed.


	2. clear skies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of insight into Clive's side of the story, along with her totally-not-normal friends.

"Clive!"

Clive turns her head to see her octoling friend, Cebu. Her eyes were a lovely grey-silver, which was considered pretty rare around a mostly inkling-dominant campus. Although, she wasn't really one of those popular students - people just know her because of her eyes, eternal kindness and pure smile.

"Are you ready to go?" she continues, securing her bag on her shoulder. "Ranger says she'll meet us there."

"Yeah!" Clive nods enthusiastically and leaps out of her seat, grabbing her bag and linking arms with Cebu (who yelps in surprise). "Let's go!"

After school, the halls were full of people walking here and there. It was easy to get lost, even after attending the school for so long.

Their other friend, Ranger, always seems to stand out from the crowds. She always wears a serious look on her face, and whenever she makes eye contact with somebody, they assume she's asking if they have a death wish and they quickly look away in a frightened rush.

But really, it's just her face.

Her tentacles are long, a classic style amongst inklings, and she often stands with her arms crossed. After all, she's Cebu's... sort of bodyguard.

"Young miss," Ranger bows to Cebu, then turning to Clive who grins as a greeting. "Clive. It is lovely to see you."

"Rane, I told you not to call me that when we're outside the house," Cebu pouts.

"Ah - I apologize," Ranger sighs, bringing her hand to her mouth. "A habit of mine. I'm afraid I'm too used to it."

"It's okay," Cebu shakes her head, giving Ranger a small smile. "But y'know, as I said, we're friends here! So no need to be so formal."

"Understood."

Clive nods in agreement. "Well, let's find a place to sit!"

The trio ventured into the library, a short walk away from the main building of Goby High, with Ranger politely holding the door open for the two of them, receiving a "thank you" and a "thanks!".

With some quite shuffling around in an attempt to be as quiet as possible, they find an empty table.

The library is a cosy place, but for some reason, the air feels tense. Clive senses something strange and looks around for the cause.

She's seated comfortably on a chair and observes Cebu and Ranger taking out some stuff from their bags. No, it isn't them. Clive purses her lips and looks behind her.

Oh...

There's a girl sitting at the more secluded desks, in the far corner of the library. She appears to be totally absorbed in the book she's reading, her pretty dark eyes moving from each word to the next. Clive assumes the girl won't look up, so she keeps staring.

The girl had the asymmetrical hairstyle, one tentacle swept to the side of her face. It compliments her perfectly, and with her head resting on her hand, she's the spitting image of the quiet, studious girl.

One could almost see the hearts in Clive's eyes before Cebu brings her back to reality.

"Clivey," Cebu whispers, gently tapping Clive's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I'm gay- I mean, uh..." Clive regains her composure. "...That girl sitting over there. She's... she's so pretty."

"She is in my class," Ranger mentions quietly. "If you would like, I could tell you about when I first talked to h-"

Before Ranger could finish her sentence, Clive grabs her hands and nods furiously, tears almost forming in her eyes out of excitement.

Ranger's eyes widen at her sudden reaction but she soon relaxes. "Well..."

Ranger recalls the time when she first entered Goby High.

It was a few weeks after the summer break. Ranger stood at the front of the class - but unlike most people, she remained completely calm and was unfazed by the several pairs of eyes locked onto her.

"My name is Ranger. It is nice to meet you all. I hope we are able to get along well."

She bowed, and the class greeted her with smiles and grins and waves and a thumbs up, although she heard whispers of "wow, she looks kinda scary" and "nah she looks cool, like an expert in turf war and stuff".

The teacher advised her to sit next to a certain quiet inkling girl who sat in the far corner of the class, a seat near the window.

"Hello," Ranger greeted her politely. "I was told to sit with you, as you are able to introduce me to this school."

The girl looked up at her with a nervous glint in her eyes, as if she knew exactly what to say but found it hard to say it.

"M-my name is Olwen... it's nice to meet you, Ranger."

"We remain friends, of course, but I'm afraid we have not been talking very often lately." Ranger continues to explain to Clive. "Perhaps something may be upsetting her. I would inquire about it, but I think that I may intimidate her if I do such a thing..."

"I'm sure she'd understand you're trying to help her!" Clive reassures her. "But if you're really not sure about it, let me ask her for you!"

"Are you... quite sure about that?" Ranger tilts her head slightly. "It simply seems to me that you may have..."

"A crush on her," Cebu completes her sentence with a huge smile.

Clive instantly melts into a blushing mess.

"No way," she shakes her head, trying desperately to dispel the strange thoughts and feelings in her head that could reach all the way to her heart. "I just think she's pretty, that's all!"

"My apologies, but I disagree," Ranger brings her hand to her chin in thought. "If my premonitions are correct, then this is a case of..."

Cebu chimes in. "Love at first sight!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked this chapter!!
> 
> (oh clivey just admit it)


	3. weather station

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and so it begins...

She twirls her pen in her hand, sitting at her desk with a sigh. Olwen's heart was going crazy.  
  
The girl at the skate park... Clive. Or Clivey.  
  
Her and her adorable smile just couldn't leave Olwen's mind. Of course, it didn't stop her from listening to the teacher, but at some points, her thoughts fly away to yesterday, being saved from a basketball. A daydream.  
  
Meanwhile, Clive is anxiously sitting at the desk near the corner of the library with her two friends. Unlike Olwen, Clive feels... out of place.  
  
"Guys, are you plotting something?" she whispers out of the blue, startling Cebu.  
  
"N-no!" the octoling shakes her head frantically.  
  
"We are not," Ranger shakes her head in a collected manner.  
  
"Oh... okay."  
  
When Clive looks away, towards the empty corner desk, Ranger smirks and nudges Cebu. "Yes we are," she whispers to the octoling who replies with a sheepish grin.  
  
She takes a couple deep breaths.  
  
In...  
  
Out.  
  
Her hands ball into fists and she makes eye contact with Clive, whose eyes widen at the sudden sight.  
  
"Uh, Clivey?" Cebu says softly. "Actually, my mom needed me for something at the house... and obviously Rane has to come with me..." She hides her face behind her longer tentacle, shyly holding it up with both hands.  
  
"O-oh, that's okay!!" Clive reassures her, waving her hands around. "I'll be fine on my own. You guys can go do your stuff."  
  
"Thank you, Clive." Ranger bows. "We'll see you tomorrow."  
  
They get up, and Clive watches them leave the room with a pout. "They really are up to something," she says under her breath after turning the page of her Marine History textbook.  
  
But what she doesn't notice is that her tall crush walks into the library right after Cebu and Ranger leave.  
  
Absorbed in information of the past beings who once populated the deep sea, Clive grumbles and writes down something she doesn't understand.  
  
"Um... excuse me," an angel's voice catches her attention. "Clive... right?"

Of course, it's Olwen peering down at her, bag on her shoulder and hand subconsciously touching the two piercings on her right ear. How Clive notices these things, she'll never know.

"Y-yeah! You're Olwen," Clive smiles uncontrollably, and gestures towards the now empty seat in front of her. "Here! You can sit with me... if you want."

There's an awkward silence as Olwen takes the seat and brings out some stuff from her bag.

"So um..." The smaller inkling struggles to look at Olwen now that she's RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER. "I had this... uh, impression that you might prefer studying on your own... or something," she chuckles, playing with the corner of a page.

"That's not entirely false," Olwen replies in a hushed tone, wary of the other people in the library who could be focusing. "Sometimes X and Rocky come with me... but they know I might prefer to be alone. I'm thankful they respect that."

"Ahh, they seem really kind," Clive feels herself smiling again.

"Yeah... plus, I don't mind... being around you more often."

Since the two were so insistent in the idea that the other probably didn't harbor the same feelings as they did, of _course_ they didn't notice each other blushing. A lot.

...

Clive speaks up after another long silence. "S-Speaking of X and Rocky, don't you kinda feel like... I dunno... they could be planning something?"

"...Hm," Olwen mumbles. "Now that I think about it, yeah... Ever since the six of us exchanged numbers and made a group chat, I couldn't help but feel like something was a bit... off..."

Somewhere else in the school, Rocky scrolls through the group chat history.

_SUPER HYPE SQUAD_

Members: cliveyyy, Ranger, cebuocto<3, olwen, alex, Rocky!!

 **cliveyyy** > hey y'aaaaaaall!!!!

 **cebuocto <3**> HELLO :3

 **Ranger** > Good evening.

 **Rocky!!** > hey :D

 **alex** > hello, i hope everyone is doing well.

 **olwen** > hi guys

 **cliveyyy** > so what are y'all up to

 **cliveyyy** > it's so late im dyin @_@

 **cebuocto <3**> it was your idea to make a group chat at 11pm clivey :c

 **Ranger** > And on a school night too.

 **cliveyyy** > tru

 **Ranger** > But to answer your question, Clive, I am ordering takeout.

 **cebuocto <3**> YAYYYYYYY

 **alex** > that sounds nice. mind getting some for us too?

 **Rocky!!** > we could all meet up and have a midnight feast :D

 **olwen** > that sounds fun klsdjf it's dangerous going out so late at night though

 **Rocky!!** > aaaa you're right :C maybe next time we can all go out to eat!

 **cliveyyy** > that would be SO FUN

 

And then, not long after, another group chat is made...

_super secret squad_

Members: Ranger, cebuocto<3, alex, Rocky!!

 **Ranger** > Greetings.

 **Ranger** > I am fully aware that we have not been fully introduced yet. It's nice to meet you both.

 **Ranger** > I am Ranger. I take care of Cebu. It is part of my work, but I consider her a very kind friend.

 **cebuocto <3**> RANE UR TOO SWEET!!!!!!!!!!

 **cebuocto <3**> yee im cebu :3 i like memes and um... i hope u guys r cool w me being an octoling and all :'3

 **Rocky!!** > aaa no no it's ok!! you're our first octo friend, cebu!!

 **Rocky!!** > im rocky, alex's younger brother :o i call him eggs tho lol!! i like memes too!!!!!

 **alex** > hello, im alex. people call me x tho. but as rocky said, he's my younger brother. been calling me eggs ever since he learned to speak. :')

 **cebuocto <3**> YOU GUYS R SO CUTE i wish i had siblings!!!

 **cebuocto <3**> rane is like my big sis tho :333

 **Rocky!!** > AW LOL

 **Ranger** > [blushing emoji]

 **Ranger** > Anyway. Back to the purpose of this group chat.

 **Ranger** > Please forgive me if I'm incorrect, but... have you realized that your friend Olwen displays... romantic interest towards our friend Clive?

 **Rocky!!** > actually YES

 **Rocky!!** > I KNEW IT!!!! THEY LIKE EACH OTHER

 **alex** > i've noticed it too. i can't believe _they_ haven't, though...

 **cebuocto <3**> AHA!!

 **cebuocto <3**> well me n rane wanted to ask you guys if you'll be willing to help us

 **cebuocto <3**> we wanna get them to realize that they like each other >:3c

 **alex** > of course. we want the best for the both of them.

 **alex** > i bet if we leave them alone, it'll be years before they realize.

 **Rocky!!** > heck yeah we're in :D i think olwen's at the library tomorrow after school actually!

 **Ranger** > Alright. We'll be in the library with Clive after school. Wait somewhere outside and we'll meet you there.

 **Ranger** > Thank you both. Let's do this.

 **cebuocto <3**> YEAAAAA

"Rocky," X taps his brother on the shoulder. "They're here."

Rocky looks up from his phone to see a familiar-looking duo. An inkling girl, with an intimidating glare in her eyes and one tentacle mysteriously cut off at chin length. And an octoling girl, wearing a strange tiny hat on her head and also a cheeky smile.

It's time for the plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait! i tried to mimic the chatlogs from octo expansion hahah  
> thank you for reading!! (as always, feel free to pm me for my discord!)


End file.
